The Sicillian Supplier: A Valiant Mission
by Cel Stacker
Summary: Squad F's first combat mission brings them within reach of the talons of a deadly new enemy.  Will Valiant and Bugsy make it back alive?  Please R&R for new chapters!
1. Prologue

Valiant characters Copyright 2005 Walt Disney Productions/Vanguard Animations

Prologue-

Folleni watched in silence as the tell-tale tower of another U-boat drifted by. He grinned to himself--the beautiful sight was to him, money in the bank, or rather, meat in the cellar. War had been very profitable for someone of his stature, with his particular talents. He could get most anything that was needed for his clientele, the deadly Nazi regime crushing every hint of opposition around Europe. Even if the Nazis fell, he would still be seated pretty. The kind of weaponry his clients used was rather easy to come by, and uprisings were a dime a dozen. At the very least, he wouldn't go hungry--even in Italy, there was never a shortage of...pigeons.

Sooner than later, it was time to supervise the latest shipment. Instinctively aware of time, Folleni, the fiendish vampire bat, released from his upside-down perch and glided to his warehouse in the roof of an ancient sandstone citadel.


	2. First Briefing

1-

"I hate to interrupt you ladies, but duty calls."

Bugsy and Valiant looked up at Sarge from their game of bottle cap checkers, both with sparkling, expectant eyes. A solid number of successful missions had them anticipating the danger zone. This is a stance that Valiant had never thought of Bugsy taking, but the most laid-back member of Squad F had evolved into a seasoned warrior pigeon, although none of his wit had suffered with the evolution.

As if by example, Bugsy snapped to attention behind his stool. "And we are all too ready to answer! Yes, sir. Ever ready to answer, that's us, your stand-bys, your fly-bys..."

"IF I might..." interrupted Sarge, advancing toward them. Although he was clearly on his straight-forward mode, Valiant detected a note of grim in his voice. It made him both cautious and curious.

"This is a slight diversion from 'business as usual' boys. Squad F has been tapped for a combat mission."

This really got everyone's attention. Lofty, at his bunk writing in a diary, snapped the book shut as he looked at Sarge suddenly. Tailfeather and Toughwood were fussing over the contents of a footlocker when they heard the Sarge mention combat. They also instantly turned toward him with expressions of anticipation and dread.

"Combat, sir?" exclaimed Valiant. "But, do you think..."

"You're ready. You traversed the French countryside, held your own against experienced falcons, and mostly without Commander Gutsy."

Valiant nodded slowly. He wasn't totally convinced; Squad F did take a lot of chances on that first mission, and for the greater part, he felt they had gotten lucky. Valiant was sure he would die at any minute throughout that adventure. He had a brief flashback of the stuffed pigeons on the mantle at Von Talon's base that made him shudder. He knew that when it came to performing a duty, a soldier simply performed. But now, things were somewhat different. He had proven himself a duty-minded flyer and an effective leader. As such, he was determined to be the type that did his part to make sure all his mates made it back in one piece. Direct combat would make that a tall order.

"We'll keep the briefing informal," Sarge continued, as a couple of specialist sparrows brought in an easel with large sheets, much like the shades on which Sarge once tested them on pigeon/falcon recognition.

"You're headin' toward one of the lion's dens, lads, so you'll want to express at least the same level of caution as before,"

Sarge said, flipping the first page with his baton. It showed a map of Sicily in as much detail as available to the Allies. Sarge tapped the far eastern edge of the island with his baton as he continued. "Your L.Z. is right here, just outside the port of Syracuse. And this is your target," Sarge flipped the page to the next image, a grainy photo of a vampire bat slipping around the corner of a brick. "Folleni, whom we suspect of being a major supplier to several falcon brigades, such as Von Talon's, has been tracked to this particular area. We're in sore need of a major development lads, and that's where you come in. We need Folleni shut down and captured. Alive."

Valiant and Bugsy regarded each other, wide-eyed. They must have gained quite a bit of clout with the higher-ups to warrant this kind of assignment. They were starting to feel what the T-Brothers were feeling; this was a vampire bat. They sucked blood, and word was they weren't picky.

"There is a very good chance he has a staff, so you'll want to be on your toes. This is an especially dangerous foe, so no grandstanding. Don't attempt to take him alone, always have a mate to watch your tail. You'll have access to the gear and some specific items needed for the mission, and you'll get another brief on the specifics approximately one hour before deployment. Questions?"

"Yeh," Toughwood hissed to Tailfeather. "Why'd I ever listen to you?"

"'Twas your idea to join up!" Tailfeather hissed back.

"Well, then," Sarge said all too cheerfully, "Wheels up at 1300 tomorrow, gents. I suggest you get rested up." Sarge then turned on his heel and exited the barracks.

Valiant turned to Bugsy with a curious expression. "No witty questions, Bugsy? That's not like you."

"Aye. Maybe I'm...I don't know...still in SHOCK over that egg Sarge just laid on us?"

"Oh, come now, Bugsy," Lofty began, coming toward them. "It's as Sarge said, we can handle it. It's just one bat."

"One _vampire_ bat, Lofts. God knows what they do to pigeons. And he's an arms dealer or something! He's probably got weapons comin' out of his pores!"

"Lofty's right, Bugsy," assured Valiant, trying to sound composed. "There's no need to get worked up over what we don't know for sure."

"Heh, right,...you do know how to set a bloke's mind at ease, Valiant," squeaked Bugsy, failing at a similar attempt to sound composed. "I just hope them 'items' the Sarge has planned are worth while..."


	3. Setbacks

2--

Back at the building on the north side of Syracuse, Fonelli the Bat had his own roster of items to see about. Indeed he did have a staff, and he was none too pleased with them at the moment.

"What do you mean it isn't ready?"

The intimidating bat had just thundered the question at a nervous shorebird, who quivered while holding a list of the items to be received.

"W-we had some slight setbacks, sir. The Allied Forces have been rather active in this area, and..."

"Surely you can find your way around some clueless humans and their clumsy gunfire!" As if to underscore his point, Fonelli smacked a large shell, making it topple with an echoing thud, so that the other birds and rats present gripped their ears in agony.

Fonelli snorted in disgust. "Just get it ready, as soon as you can," he ordered more calmly. "We can't afford any more setbacks. Even slight ones." Fonelli stomped over to a side office from the main floor of the warehouse before the shorebird could offer any reply.

Inside the room Fonelli had entered sat a radio transmitter, with range enough to reach Berlin. Fonelli flicked on the console, grinning with the knowledge granted him by above average intelligence. At the moment, he only needed it to reach Salzburg. He cranked the front center knob a few times, through the crackle of heavy static, until a clear signal came through.

"This is the Avion to North Freighter, come in, North Freighter."

A heavy German accent answered, "This is North Freighter. The frequency is secure."

"Glad to hear it. How is business, Talon?"

"All too good, it is. The problem is having adequate staff to meet the demand. I don't suppose you could use any falcons down there?"

Folleni chuckled. "I doubt you mean it, Talon. You would miss Underlingk and Cufflingk!"

"Yes, I suppose, if one can miss an inflamed internal organ. But to business; how is the package?"

"Soon to be en route. Last minute preparation, very routine."

"No problems, I trust?"

"None at all. Have I ever failed to deliver?"

"I can't argue with that logic. You are the miracle worker Folleni. It is always a pleasure."

Folleni grinned into the grey speaker, as if he could see the Falcon Meister's face. "For that accolade, I will throw in something extra, on the house."

"You are most kind. We will await your shipment with grand anticipation. Talon out."

Folleni switched off the transmitter and whirled around to his crew. "Now you idiots, no lallygagging! Late is NOT an option!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sarge delivered on the specific briefing for Squad F approximately 2 hours before deployment. Just inside the hangar, where he had delivered the pep speech before that first harrowing mission, the boys were assembled again, recalling the same kind of nerve-wracking anticipation that came with any first-time outing.

"This being a combat mission, you will be outfitted with some sophisticated weaponry. Don't worry, it relates very well to both your formal and your field training thus far."

Sarge proceeded over to a weapons rack, selecting a contraption that looked like a pencil with a thick sliver piece of metal across it and a piece of fishing wire attached to each end of the sliver. It had the look, and presumably, the function of a crossbow. "You'll find this rifle most useful and very versatile. It may be used for up close persuasion," Sarge commented, indicating the sharp tip, "As well as, for long-distance assault." By way of example, Sarge loaded a splatter bomb onto the center stock, pulled back the wire, aimed at a falcon mannequin about 10 yards away, and let fly. The splatter bomb flew to the target and eliminated half of the fake falcon. Tailfeather and Toughwood both swallowed heavily at the same time.

Sarge continued, half-noting the twins' unease. "You ladies have the next hour to get in some drilling. I trust I can make it somewhat unorthodox, due to our schedule?"

"Most certainly, sir!" Valiant snapped to attention with a proper salute as Bugsy eyed the new weapon with some trepidation. He looked at Lofty, who looked back and shrugged. It seemed that they would see more action than they had bargained for.


	4. Syracuse

3 --

All too soon, Squad F found themselves in the familiar position of passengers on a plane headed toward another hot zone. This time, at least, they were not being rocked by flak as violently as that first hair-raising mission. It didn't keep them from trading concerned looks.

"I'd rather be goin' to France," said Toughwood unceremoniously.

"True right," agreed Tailfeather.

"Come on, you turkeys," reassured Bugsy. "We got outta the last one, we'll get out of this one, eh?"

Valiant nodded with a certainty, realizing just afterward that, by Bugsy's expression, he was saying it for the Squad's benefit more than for his own.

"Most assuredly," agreed Lofty. "Just think, an actual combat mission!"

"Yeh, we sure draw the good stuff...," replied Bugsy with a droll expression.

The ready light with accompanying buzzer nearly made them jump out of their feathers. Valiant signaled the others. "This is it! Prepare to drop! See you down there!"

--

From his usual favorite perch, Folleni watched yet another U-boat drift underwater with the stealth of a serpent, with his latest package for Salzburg along for the ride. Folleni smiled. The espionage angle of his operation gave him great satisfaction. It seemed that they could get any of his goods onto any transport, under the nose of so many unsuspecting parties, on both sides of the battlefront. He took pride in his crew, although he would never let them know it.

A crooked-beaked crow appeared over the perch, breaking Folleni's reverie. "We're ahead of schedule, sirrah. Next package should be ready by 0900."

"Good. Keep it that way. I don't want any more time crunches like this last one."

With a grudging nod, the crow took off for the warehouse, leaving Folleni to sport another self-satisfied grin.

--

After a smooth enough landing, Squad F had spread out to scope the high areas of Syracuse. They had some solid intelligence on Fonelli's movements; after each shipment, like clockwork, he loved to watch whatever human courier vehicle they had chosen as it departed. The problem was that, although he favored U-boats, he also employed planes; one, to cross up Allied parties who may be watching, and two, when speed was of the essence. The frequency of the shipments varied, but the squad was banking on the assumption of two-to-three shipments a day.

Lofty had no reservations about his ability to spot Folleni, but plenty about being spotted first by him. The same levels of intelligence described Folleni as heavily suspicious, just shy of paranoid. He was also the survivor type. That would make him a difficult prisoner. Lofty surveyed the surrounding buildings from his current perch, just behind a turret in a small cathedral's bell tower.

His gaze stopped on something hanging below a nasty looking gargoyle on one of the buildings overlooking a small veranda. Lofty's blood froze at the sight--he couldn't make it out, but it certainly looked like a resting bat. He was just wondering about the bat population in Syracuse when Valiant landed beside him, jolting the plank they were standing on only slightly, but with enough force to make Lofty whirl on him, his heart in his throat.

"Sorry, Lofty, didn't mean to startle you," Valiant apologized, noting Lofty's expression.

Lofty gasped. "Quite alright, chap. Needed to cinch the leggings anyway, you know."

"You have a visual?"

"Too hard to tell from here. May not even be a bat."

A new voice spoke from behind Lofty. "It's a bat, just not the one we want."

Lofty jumped again at the voice, which had come from Bugsy. Bugsy noted Lofty with raised eyebrows.

"Whoa, mate! Need a coffee?"

"Just anticipating the trouble we'll have with this bloke, I suppose."

"So, what's the plan?" asked Bugsy.

Valiant took out his crossbow and looked at it, as if expecting to read an answer off of its stock. "With Folleni's reported staff, we would likely be outnumbered, so we can't just stroll into the warehouse and expect to get anywhere. We're at our best if we catch him while he's away, gloating over his shipments."

"We do have orders to shut down the operation, though," reminded Lofty.

"Right," said Valiant. "We might as well start there. Let's find the T-brothers. We need to do this smart."

.


	5. Capture!

4--

The warehouse was in steady activity, without being frantic. So much activity was taking place inside that the occasional pigeon head peeking through every other grime-coated glass pane went unnoticed.

Bugsy came around the corner to the rear of the roof cap at the same time as Toughwood, converging with their mates wisely on the south side of the roof, an area without windows. Timing was important, though, since an approaching bat would spot them quite easily.

"They're too engrossed in their doings to notice much else," informed Bugsy.

"How about the electrics, Tailfeather?" Valiant asked.

"They seem simple enough--we can get it done," said Tailfeather, in an unusually sure tone.

"We should get to it, then," announced Valiant.

Valiant and Bugsy flew to the top of the cap on the left, Lofty to the right, as the T-Brothers went to work on the box that supplied power to the machinery inside. From their vantage point, which featured larger, but no less grimy, glass panes, Valiant surveyed the busy scene below. It seemed unlikely that one creature of any kind could arrange such a tight and efficient operation. It made him wonder just how resourceful Folleni could be, particularly when without as much to lose.

Everything below them ceased, jolting the crows, rats, and other critters working the assembly line. Calls and shouts, too muffled for Squad F to make out, flew back and forth as a squad of them made their way back to Tailfeather and Toughwood's position. The T-Brothers then showed up between the others. "We got it!" they announced in unison.

"And not a moment too soon..." Bugsy noted, pointing skyward. Folleni appeared in the north sky, heading to the side of the cap, fortunately for the otherwise exposed Allied pigeons.

"Just how are we to capture Folleni, if he's surrounded by all those blighters?" wondered Lofty.

"What I'm hoping for," Valiant explained, "is that we can take advantage of the commotion. We just need to keep an eye on the bat."

The bat in question, Folleni, appeared surprisingly calm, but still forceful in his commands to the staff. It was obvious that delays left him more than a little annoyed. The available rats, crows, and shorebirds rushed around so that there was only two rats and a crow where Folleni stood. It was likely their best chance.

They descended on the north entrance that Folleni had just used with haste. The T-Brothers kept a lookout for any surprises on their escape route as Lofty, Bugsy, and Valiant entered. Using the nearby motors which would normally drive the conveyors as cover, the pigeons could easily sneak up on Folleni's guards. At Valiant's signal, they cracked the hilts of their crossbows against the vermin guards' skulls. Surprised but undaunted, Folleni turned toward Valiant, spread his wings and bared his teeth, rather than call for help. Valiant's blood froze as he pointed his weapon at the bat's chest. "You're most courageous, and foolish, to think I am so easily defeated," taunted Folleni.

"Oh, we didn't think that at all, mate," Bugsy declared from behind the bat. Before he could react, Bugsy had stuffed a yellow piece of cotton over the bat's snout. Folleni roared and struggled, getting some of his staff's attention. As Bugsy and Lofty held him forcefully, Folleni gradually stopped struggling, slumping unconscious in their grasp.

"Hurry!" Valiant shoved a burlap sack over the bat as his comrades hefted their captive. The T-Brothers tossed a pair of objects the size of ball bearings at the oncoming crowd of vermin. They exploded into thick clouds of smoke as they struck the floor. Several moments of confusion took place, but as the smoke cleared, all they found were the north doors of the warehouse standing open, and no sign of the intruders or their boss.


End file.
